Sheriff: WA deputy fired, accused of lying during domestic violence call
Thurston County deputy fired after internal investigation
A Thurston County Sheriff's deputy was fired after what the law enforcement agency said was a series of lies that put a woman in danger.
THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. - The Thurston County Sheriff's office announced it had fired one of its deputies for allegedly lying while responding to a domestic violence call.
It all started when a woman went missing in Thurston County in mid-July.
During the investigation into her case, sheriff’s officials discovered a deputy responded to a domestic violence call two days before she was reported missing.
Deputy accused of not following up on DV case
The backstory:
According to the sheriff’s office, during the deputy’s investigation, the woman disclosed physical assault and threats made by her partner. However, the deputy did not investigate further, did not write a case report, and noticed in a call log there were no assaults or threats.
Thankfully, investigators report the woman was found a few days later unharmed.
What they're saying:
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders tells FOX 13 Seattle terminating the deputy's employment was the right decision.
"We have to ensure that A: we’re taking domestic violence investigations seriously, and that B: I have to be able to trust that you’re putting things down that are accurate in your police reports. If I can’t trust you to do that, you can’t work here," said Sheriff Derek Sanders.
The deputy has not been named. According to the sheriff’s office, he was placed on leave during the time of the investigation in July and was fired on September 15.
"I think the public deserves to know what’s being done within their organizations that are policing them, the kind of conduct that’s going on and how it’s being addressed," said Sanders.
Local perspective:
FOX 13 Seattle asked Sanders what impact the deputy’s firing will have on pending cases.
"I don’t think there is any evidence that there is this long-standing issue with this particular employee with domestic violence investigations. So, I don’t think it’s going to have any impact on anything like that. However, there is a notice, obviously, that goes to the prosecutor’s office that says, ‘Hey, this employee did engage in deceptive behavior,’" said Sanders.
According to the sheriff’s office, an organization that is representing the deputy is demanding the deputy get their job back.
The sheriff’s office has not named that organization.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter AJ Janavel.